A primary goal of wireless communication system design is to use the available spectrum most efficiently. Examples of techniques to increase spectral efficiency include coded modulation techniques such as turbo codes and trellis-coded modulation, and multiple access techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA).
Yet another way to optimize spectral efficiency that has recently become popular in the academic community is the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio systems. MIMO radio communication techniques have been proposed for use in, for example, 3G mobile telephone systems. However, prior efforts to exploit the benefits of a MIMO system have failed because, among other reasons, a cost-effective MIMO radio could not be developed.